Overview

Construction
has been completed
and all lanes are now open
in both directions.

The 12th and 14th Streets Viaducts, officially called Route 139*, in Jersey City between the Tonnelle Avenue Circle and the Holland Tunnel is one of the most strategic, complex and heavily traveled highways in the country.

In addition to serving local communities, both levels of this roadway are used by more than 40,000 vehicles a day each way en route to New York City via the Holland Tunnel. It also links Routes 1&9T, the I-78 New Jersey Turnpike Extension and local roads in Jersey City and Hoboken.

Route 139 from Jersey Avenue to Kennedy Boulevard which includes the 12th and 14th Street Viaducts is part of Route 1&9 Historic District.

The Route 1 (Extension) Historic District (former name of Route 139) was listed on the New Jersey Register of Historic Places on June 13, 2005.

New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) structural inspections and ratings have indicated a need for major rehabilitation of the viaducts if the roadway is to remain in service.

The rehabilitation work will take place in two locations from 2005 to 2010. The work will be staged for the greatest efficiency and least impact on the neighborhood and road users. Three lanes will be maintained for the majority of construction.

Several mitigation strategies have been put into place to lessen negative impact of both area residents and travelers.

*Many users of this roadway are unaware that they are traveling on a road called Route 139. They may know it as "the state highway", or the "upper" or "lower" road. Some may recognize parts of it as "viaducts" named for the local streets or the original railroad lines they spanned.